Hay-loader.



A. KEPLER.- HAY moan.-

WITNESSES APPLICATIQN: mm JUNE 22; ms.

Patented Feb. '25, 1919.

INVENTOR AndrewfiTe a Z62;

ATTOPN B A. KEPLER.

' HAY LOADER.

MPLlCATHJN FILED JUNE 22. 1912 3.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919-.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ATTORN EY A.. KEPL ER.

HAY LOADER.-

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, I918.

1 ,295,52Q. Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- INVENTOR BY I WITNESSES I To all whom it may concern:

1 changes and modifications come Fig35bnt omitting dist-ant parts:

, tartan snares arass area.

ANBREW KEPLER, 0F BURTON, NEBRASKA.

HAY-LQABER.

.Beit'known that 1, ANDREW KiaPLER, a

;j-- citizcn of the; United States, residing at Burton, in the county of Keyapaha and a State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Hay-Loader, ofwhich the'following is a specification.

"This invention has reference to hay-loaders, and" its object is to provide a loader of simple construction capable ofdepositing the gathered hay on vehicles of diflerent heights. i i accordance with the invention, the loader is arranged intrailing relation to the vating conveyer directly followingthevehicle to be loaded and a separate gatherer' ":following the elevator, which. latter dis charges directly onto the vehicle and which may be'adjusted, in one form of the invent ion. .,to. various heights.

'- lThe invention will be best understood from aconsiderati0n' of the'following detailed description, taken connection with of this specification, with the further understanding that, while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict-conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed and modified, so long as such v within the scope of the-appended claims.

In the drawings: p

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the hay loader with an elevating extension, and

showing a receiving vehicle in longitudinal section; I

Fig. 2 .is a plan view of the loader shown i at;

. Fig. ;.-3 is a longitudinal sect-ion of the loader, but omitting the elevatingexten- "sIo n;i--

"Fig is a section on the line of "'Figflf); is a section onth'e'line 5-5 of 5c "fFig. '7' is a section on the line 77' of Fig.

lg' but confined to the connecting strands.

Specification of Letters latent.

vehicle, to be loaded, and comprises an ele the accompanying drawings forming part Patented FQb as, rare.

Application filed June 22, 1918 Serialno. 241,409.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a gatherer A and an elevator B, together,

for gathering hay. may be provided with a hay rack 1 of any suitable form, and the vehicle may follow the usual lines of such vehicles. 1 v The gatherer A. is provided with an axle .or shaft 2 carried by tractionwheels- 3 at opposite ends. Mounted on the shaft 2 are bars or beams 4 carrying longitudinally dis posed inclined timbers 5 joined by bars or braces 6. The gatherer is of generally inverted triangular shape, with the shaft or axle 2 extending through the apex portion of" the triangle, which apex, because of the inversion of the triangle, is lowermost. The

gatherer is provided with side walls 7 and a bottom wall 8, which in part is substantially parallel with the surface over .which t-he gatherertravels, and in part inclines towardthe upper corner of the gathere-r.

Traversing the gatherer frame at the two corners other than that traversedby the shat 2 are other shafts 9 and 10 respectively. The shaft 9 has band wheels 11 thereon. the shaft 10 has band wheels 19. thereon, and the shaft 2 has band wheels 13 thereon. these band wheels all being in alinement with each other longitudinally of the gatherer, and each set of band wheels car ries an endless band 14. The bands have flights 15 fast thereto,;each

flight being provided with a suitable nulnber of elastic fingers 16 designed to engage material which may be deposited on the ground and carry it along with the fingers to an appropriate point-of disposal.

On the shaft 2 are pulleys 17 ,and on the shaft- 9 are other pulleys 18 in alineme-nt with the pulleys 17 and connected thereto, by belts-19, which latter in-sthe showing of the drawings, are crossed belts The timbers or beams .5 are continued be- I yond the lowermost end of the-triangular portion of the ,gatherer, and there are provided with supporting wheels 20 designcd to travel on the ground and together with the traction wheels 3' supportthe gatherer of the flights of the gatherer constitutes the active flight, since the upwardly inclined flight where leaving the ground is arranged to deliver-a gathered .load to partsto be delengthwise of the conveyer, and'the alined scribed,while the return flight, which is an inactive flight, is downwardly and rearwardly toward the ground. Since the re turn run is an inactive run, the flights 15 are supported by strips 21. The bottom 8 is provided with longitudinal slots 22 where the rollers 11, 12 and 13 occur, so that these rollers may there engage the bands 14 to support them and also to' propel these bands and the flights 15.

The elevator B is also of generally triangular form, and comprises traction wheels 23 fast to a shaft or axle 24. Carried by theshaft 24 are braces 25 supporting. inclined side beams 26, each of which at the lower end is supported by a wheel 27 designed to travel on the ground, and together with the wheels 23 support the entire elevator B.

The side beams 26 are joined at suitable intervals by cross bars 28, and at the upper end have journaled in them a shaft 29 car rying rollers 30 between the beams 26. Near the lower endthe beams 26 have a I shaft 31 journaled therein, and each shaft has rollers 32 mounted thereon between the beams.

The rollers 30 and 32 are in almement rollers support belts 33 .to which are secured cross flights 34 having fingers 35 thereon.

Beneath the upper run of the conveyer flights 34, and also supporting the upper runs of the belts 33 is a flooring or platform 36 extending across the conveyer from side to side.

flights, while aprons 37 on opposite sides of the conveyer maintain the material on the conveyerwhile being elevated.

The shaft 29 carriessprocket wheels 38 on opposite ends, and these sprocket wheels are connected by sprocket chains 39 to other sprocket wheels 40 on the shaft 24, whereby the conveyer belt is propelled by power due to the travel ofthe conveyer structure B over the ground. I

Ma'terial gathered by the: fingers 16 of the This platform serves to. sup- .port material carried along by the conveyer gathering belt of the gatherer A is depos ited; upon the lower endof the elevator B,

being there caught by the fingers 35 and caused to travel upwardly over the'floor 36' between the aprons 137 to the upper end of the elevator, at which point the material so elevated may be discharged into a suitable receptacle such as the vehicle C.

In order toinaintain the gatherer A and elevator B infproper relation, strips 41 each have one end. connected to-the shaft or axle 24 and the.,other end provided with an.elon-' gated slot1i42 through which the appropriate end of the shaft or axle 2 extends. By means of an adjusting screw 43 thestrips 41 maybe properly located onthe shaft 2 and there held s6 that the gatherer A is'maintained in proper relation to the elevator B to deliver the gathered material onto the flights of the elevator B to be carried thereby to the top of the elevator.

The shaft 29 carries hinge straps 44 near opposite ends, and these straps are in turn connected to and carrya shaft 45 at one end [of a channel member .46 constituting the frame of a conveyer. extension. The other end of the channel member 46 carries a shaft 47 and on the two shafts 45 and'47 there are mounted rollers 48 carrying belts 49 .to

which are secured flights-50 with fingers 51.

The ehannel member 46, the'belts 49 and flights}.50 constitute: a supplemental elevating conveyer forming an extension of the c'onveyer B. The shaft 45 is provided at one end with a pulley 52 receiving a crossed belt 53 driven byanother pulley 54 on the shaft 29. Straps 55 aid in bracing the shaft 45 aboutwhich the conveyer channel 46 may be adjusted. To accomplish such adjustment, a post 56 is mounted on one of the side beams 26 :of the conveyerjB. Suit-able pulleys 57 and 58 on the post 56 and onthe channel 46, together with a cord or strand 59 serve to support and adjust the inclination of the supplemental conveyer represented by the channel 46.

In order to attach the vehicle C to the ele{ vator B, different arrangements may be used.

and one such arrangement is illustrated in the drawings, and more particularly in Fig.

7. butalso indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. Fast to the shaft 24 on the running gear'of the elevating conveyer B is a cable or other flexible strand 61 carried about a direction changing pulley 62 on a cross bar 63 of the running gear ofthe vehicle. C. The strand 61 is returned to a shaft 64- also on. the vehicle, which shaft is under the control of a crank 65 withinaccess of an operator. By means of the crank 65. the relation of the ve hicle to the discharge endof the elevator-- extension 46 may be changed as needed. even while, the structure is in operation.-

By means of draft animals or a tractor. the vehicle C is drawn along over the field reeaeao from which the hay is to be gathered, such direction'being from right to left in the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. This means that theupper run of the conveyer belts in the main part of the elevator B moves in the direction of travel and constitutes the active run of the con'veyer belts or flights. On account of the crossed belt 53, the lower run of the flights 50 of the supplemental, or extension conveyer 56 is the one that is active and .moves in the direction of travel of the vehicle, these flights traveling over the bottom of the channel member 46.

The flights 15 of thegatherer, which are toward the ground, are the active flights,

and move in the same direction as the travel 1 of the vehicle. a

As the entire assemblage mo'ves'over the ground, the active run of the flights of the gatherer the ground and delivers it to the lower end of the elevator B where such gathered hay is caught by the fingers 35 of. the-gripper run of the conveyer belts, any hay which'may cling to the fingers 16 being stripped there from and moved over the floor 36 to the upper end of the elevatorB where suchhay is- .in turn caught by the fingers 51 of the flights and caused-to move along the bottom of the chan'nelfiG to be'ultimately dis-' chargedfrom the'upper end thereof to fall into the vehicle "1C.

What is claimed is 1.'A' hay loader comprising gaging members for propelling the elevating conveyer members, and agatherer separate fron the elevating conveyer and provided with ground engaging members individual thereto and 1 endlessgathering meanspi-opelled by-the ground engaging members and delivering onto. the lower end of the elevating conveyer, and means for connecting the gatherer tothe elevating conveyer structure, 2. A; hay loader comprising an elevating 'conveyer structure and a-gatherer constituting two separate instrunientalities, each provided with traveling flights,

, of the gathererdelivering onto the. flights of the elevating conveyer, and. each having driving means for the respective flights for engaging the ground and supporting and individual -to the respective instrui'iientalities, I and members connecting the gatherer and the elevating 'convever structure, I

A hay loader comprising an elevating coiiveyei" and a gatheier constituting two separate instruineiitalities. each provided with traveling flights with the flights of} delivering onto the flights of the gatlierei the elevating conveyer, a'iideach having driving means for the respective flights for engaging the ground and supporting and in collects hay or other material from I structure movable along the ground and provided'with elevating conveyer members andground enti've run and the lower run of tlie exten'sion constituting the act-ive'ruli thereof.

div'idual to the respective instrumentalities,

and connecting means between the elevating conveyer structure and the gatl'ierer structure for causing the gatherer to mgvevwith and behind the elevating conveyer'a.

- .4. A hay loader comprising an elevating conveyer-and a gatherer constituting; two separate 'instrumentalities, each PIQVldGCl,

with traveling flights, with the flights of the gathereudelivering onto the flights of theelevating conveyer, and each having driving means for the respective flightsfor engaging- -the ground and supporting and individual to the respective instrumentalities, and coniiecting means between the elevating con veyer structure and the 'gatherer structure for causing the gatherer to linove with'and behind the elevating conveyer, said connecting means having adjusting means whereby the two iiistruinentalities may be maintained 5 in. proper relation for the gatherer to deliver gathered material onto the flights of theele- 'va ting conveyer.

. 5. A- hay gathering structure" an inclined elevating conveyer with traction wheels intermediate of its length connected to-and. driving the elevating element'softhe conveyer, and other supporting wheels at the rear 'endof the', elevating ,convey'er,- and a overhanging the low end of the latter, said ,gatherer structure being provided with-trac-- tioirsupporting means individual thereto 1 and an endless conveyer with an active run adjacent to the ground anddelivering onto the low end of, the elevating conveyer strucvture. with the flights {A hav gatherercomprising an elevatmg convever and agathereiassociated with,

connected to and delivering tl ereonto, the 'conveyer being -prov1 ded with an extension. of its high end ad uSt'a'ble with relation thereto,'bo'th the elevating conveyer and the '120 extension having endless conveying] means individual thereto W ththe upper run of;

the el'evating; conveyerconstituting the ac:

Aha gathere'rieomprising an elevating conv'eyer structure-having traction wheels and supporting =wheelsjto. the rear' ofthe;

tractiomwheels, a ,gatherer structiire pro-f vided with traction wheels individual there- 0.30

V iiig the elevating eonveyer and gatherel j .s'tructu 's together at the traction wheels I e 5 with the discharge end of the gatherer over- Witnesses:

' te and supporting Wheels to the rear of the In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as jmetien wheels, and connecting strips joinin -the presence oitwo witnesses.

-ANDREW KEPLER. the rear end of the elevating con- FRANK JfRnonns,

Ever; 9 e- Wm; Knmnn.

my own, I have hereto affixed my signature 

